January Empties: The Candles

Once again, I seem to have hung on to my bags of empty items for far too long and I have no choice but to write a post entirely dedicated to the candles that I’ve finished up in the last few months. I hope you enjoy! I will warn you, now that it’s gotten cooler I’m in a candle burning frenzy…

Yankee Candle Home Classics Pillar in Island Getaway ($10/340 g): My first foray into Yankee Candles was fairly successful and I did enjoy the scent, I didn’t love it nearly enough to consider repurchasing it. The scent threw pleasantly as one of those fresh and water soapy scents but I quickly grew tired of the soap-y allure. It burned nicely until the sooting problem emerged and lasted for ages. I prefer other fragrances in this scent category, though. This belongs to Yankee’s collection of candles that is sold at Winners and TJ/TK Maxx, as well as other more affordable retailers.

Brookside Candle in Driftwood ($10/510 g): This huge jar candle was another one of my Winner’s finds and I have similar thoughts about it on the whole. In terms of scent appeal, I preferred this one as it belonged to the aquatic family and instead of leaning on the soapier side of things, it had a soft musk note, but it was much of a subtler throw and did not burn as nicely. Most of this burning I would chalk down to the huge size and wide jar shape of the candle – it hardly had a choice but to tunnel – and the soot probably was a result of having to wait so long for the wax to pool. I thought the three scent layers were interesting. I can’t complain from an economic standpoint because of just how long it lasted and while I wouldn’t rush out to buy it again, it was enjoyable.

Woodwick Sand & Driftwood Medium Candle ($20/275 g): Given that I paid significantly more for this wood-wicked candle, I’m rather pleased that its performance knocked every other candle out of the park. I loved the scent – it was a soft musk meets woodsy scent that had none of that cliched ‘cologney’ sweetness to it – and it threw for days. It definitely fit into ‘mandle’ territory as many of my favourites do, but it’s a little different. More impressive than the scent and the throw was the candles performance; it burned flawlessly and evenly, even though I did not trim the wicks once or pay attention. It burned cleanly to the bottom, without a hint of soot. If you can’t already tell, I would definitely purchase from this brand again – and I would consider this particular scent.

Bath & Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Medium Candle ($12.50/ 180g): I know that for many Bath and Body Work’s signature ‘pumpkin spice’ scent is overrated, but for me, there’s nothing as deliciously quintessentially fall as this candle. It smells like creamy pumpkin with a nice dose of cinnamon and doesn’t have that caramel gourmand note that many seem to. It performed nicely, bringing out a medium throw and burning to the end. I can definitely see myself buying again for next year.

Bath & Body Works Flannel Medium Candle ($12.50/ 180 g): Even though it did not burn the greatest – or even as well as Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin – I can’t find myself to regret burning it in the slightest because the masculine-leaning scent is among my favourites of all time. It definitely has some sandalwood and bergamot in there but I’m partial to the interesting mixture of pear musk and warmth. Likely because I had issues with the candle not tunnelling and pooling evenly, there was more of a soot issue – I didn’t trim the wicks enough obviously. The throw was great and lingered spectacularly. I will be repurchasing the moment that I see it in my life. I would actually have cried tears of joy if I saw it at the 10.50 Candle Sale or the BBW Semi-Annual Sale…